Attendees heading to the West Lincoln Arena and Community Centre with the goal of celebrating Saskatchewan as part of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games were greeted instead with a protest against vaccine mandates led by the township's mayor.
When the Aug. 8 event, part of the 13 for 13 Cultural Festival, was moved from an outdoor event to an indoor one due to heavy rain in the forecast, Mayor Dave Bylsma was no longer able to attend to give welcoming remarks.
Per the township’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, Bylsma was not able to enter the public facility because he would have been acting in an official capacity and he has withheld his vaccination status.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the township said that the COVID-19 vaccination policy has been in place through the Occupational Health and Safety Act since September 2021, and is based on scientific and health data to protect the employees, members of council and the community.
According to the policy, all members of council and staff are required to be fully vaccinated to conduct township business on township property and facilities, or attend an official indoor event in the capacity of a member of council. “It has served us well to date,” said the spokesperson.
On Monday, Bylsma decided to push back against the policy. He would have been allowed to attend the event as a citizen, just not to speak in an official capacity. A back-and-forth conversation between Bylsma and the township ensued where, he says, he raised concerns about the policy.
The township said Bylsma was offered accommodations to carry out his role and provide opening remarks outside the entrance to the community centre, but this was refused.
The mayor alleges this offer came after he had contacted friends and supporters in the early afternoon, calling on them to protest outside the arena. He decided to stay with the protesters.
“The issue is that I was not allowed to fulfil my duties inside the venue where the event was held,” he said, adding that he wanted to address the full crowd, rather than just those outside the venue.
Dozens of gathered protesters lined the parking lot outside the arena, waving Canadian flags, while some vehicles adorned with Canadian flags and Freedom Convoy and anti-vaccination paraphernalia honked their horns in support.
“(It is) really unjust and (the township) decided to make a point about it,” Bylsma said. “We're not here to fetter the event, we're here to expose the injustice.”
At around 6 p.m., a group of protesters entered the arena and circled the spectators’ gallery above the rink where the cultural event was taking place, waving flags.
In a video posted on social media on Monday, Bylsma said he can't “fulfil my duties as mayor because I'm unjabbed.” He said he hasn't been able to attend council meetings in person nor visit his township office because of the policy.
A spokesperson for the township said they were disheartened by the decision to instead incite a protest in attempt to disrupt the 13 For 13 event.
“Thankfully,” they said, “we had an incredible turnout and our community was still able to come together, welcome our special guests from Saskatchewan, and enjoy this wonderful celebration that staff worked tirelessly to organize.”
This isn’t the first time Bylsma has been embroiled in controversies around vaccinations and mandates. In April 2021, he defied the stay-at-home order and led a chant calling for the end of lockdowns.
A month later, he was criticized after messaging a woman on Facebook to ask if the COVID-19 vaccine affected her menstruation.
And in February 2022, he was docked 30 days’ pay by the regional council after an investigation by the integrity commissioner into his use of the word “purebloods” to describe the unvaccinated.
Chris Pickles is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter for Niagara This Week. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.
